(Minghui.org) I would like to share a problem I have encountered that illustrates what I think is a common problem that is generated by incorrect notions.
After I joined the group of practitioners and realized that I should assist in saving sentient beings, I wanted to do that very well–which, of course, is not wrong. The issue I encountered is that I quickly went to an extreme and wanted to take part in everything that other practitioners had established. Of course, since some of them asked me to help in all sorts of situations, I thought I should help them out since they were to save sentient beings.
I think this behavior illustrates several extremes. First, I needed to look at the situation based on the Fa and not accept everything without giving it a thought.
Before taking up cultivation, I was disinterested in ordinary human society. It wasn't as if I had good skills already, and that developing them would be an attachment; as a young adult, I was lazy and didn't want to study or work. I was not willing to be a responsible member of society, and even complained about the little I had to do. Therefore, I went to an extreme when I decided to take part in every effort I could to save sentient beings.
I think that we should think through whether something is really on our cultivation path before making major decisions, and ensure that our actions truly conform to the Fa. I'm not saying that we should not help fellow practitioners or participate in projects if we have the time and conditions to do so. But we should avoid going to extremes, and consider whether our actions will be beneficial in the long term.
For instance, in my cultivation, I felt I was still not behaving as a responsible member of society. Even though I am still improving, the little I have already done in that direction seems to have had a positive effect in validating the Fa and saving sentient beings. Taking part in every group effort, however, in my case, amounted to covering up my unwillingness to cultivate well and to conform to ordinary society.
Sometimes, what seems to be on the Fa and validating the Fa may not necessarily be so. In my understanding, a young person who doesn't have a profession but has the ability to study should do so. If instead I do only "Dafa things" and disregard my role in society–if I fail to hold a job, go to school, or actively participate in the society in which I live–then I am not truly being responsible or cultivating as I should. Under these circumstances, the impact of my work on Dafa projects can be only partially good, if not actually bad.
I would also like to point out shortcomings and challenges we currently face as a group that I think are brought about by Party culture.
One example is that even though I acted out of my own will, another reason this situation took place in my cultivation is that people thought that they should actively tell me to do this or that. I think it is a good thing if people who want to help can find ways to do so, but we should be understanding of everyone's situation instead of telling others what to do.
I have mixed feelings regarding pointing out things related to Party culture in general.
First, I want to believe that people can understand how to let go of their notions on their own by studying the Fa. I believe that if I am overly concerned about the fact that some practitioners have Party culture and are not cultivating, these kinds of ideas are on the same plane as their attachments and can be equally detrimental to the overall situation.
On the other hand, if someone really has these kinds of notions and can't see them, it's harmful to sentient beings and to our collective environment. The longer it takes before a practitioner sees them and builds up the determination to eliminate them, the more unintentional damage he causes. This kind of situation is really sad, because when a fellow practitioner realizes it, one can see that this kind of state is painful. None of us truly wants to have a negative impact on sentient beings.
I do believe that Party culture notions are harmful to the way ordinary society perceives us in the West, because it generates extreme behaviors. The problem is that Party culture notions are invasive, and it's almost guaranteed that one who is influenced by them will try to impose their notions or understandings on others.
Even though I was wrong and went to an extreme in my own actions, I might not have done that if our collective environment was not able to nurture such behaviors. A problem with extreme notions is that they make one quite stubborn. If one is convinced that these notions are right, it may seem as if eliminating them is like eliminating one's determination to validate the Fa. In terms of getting rid of such notions, I don't think there are any other ways than studying the Fa without any notions, and really looking inward when something happens.
I think we should all let go of our extreme thoughts. If what I shared is not appropriate, please point it out.